Genetic code
DNA strands on unaligned genome sequence.

Genome Medical, which bills itself as a national genomics medical practice, has announced it will use the genomic data analysis and reporting services of Fabric Genomics to provide its patients, doctors, and genetic counselors with insight into both targeted treatments and disease prevention.

Under the deal, Genome Medical, in conjunction with its laboratory partners, will deploy Fabric Enterprise, a computational genomics platform for the analysis of data generated from high-throughput panels, exomes, and whole genomes with a focus on hereditary disease and oncology.

For Genome Medical, founded in mid-2016 and which first began providing services to patients in January this year, the partnership fit with its founders’ vision of being able to provide specific treatments for disease and disease prevention based on patient’s unique genomic profile, according to Steven Bleyl, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer, Genome Medical. The medical practice is currently building a nationwide network of both doctors and genetic counselors focused on deriving insights from genomic data.

According to the company’s website, the goal of Genome Medical is “to bridge the growing gap between available genome technology and current medical practice.” It will focus initially in areas such as oncology, cardiovascular, and reproductive health, but intends to eventually focus on preventative health measures by helping individual patients to understand how their genomic profile influences health and wellness.

“We know that outside of major medical centers and academic centers, doctors may not feel as confident in ordering these kinds of tests, or where to turn to get this testing done,” said Bleyl. “Our practice can help them find where to do this, and our staff of trained physicians and genetic counselors can help doctors and patients make sense of their results.”

The addition of Fabric Enterprise to provide actionable information based on a patient’s genomic profile is beneficial to the mission of Genome Medical. Bleyl noted that Fabric “had the complete package. The way the data was organized and how they generate reports clearly provides insight our counselors and physicians can use for the benefit of patients.”

For Fabric, the deal with Genome Medical further helps build its presence in the clinical market of providing clinical decision support services via genomic data interpretation.

“By combining our expertise in genome interpretation with Genome Medical’s team of physicians and genetic counselors, we can offer patients and physicians a clinical solution by combining genomic knowledge with patient care to improve their health,” Martin Reese, Ph.D., CEO of Fabric Genomics, said in a press release. “Genome Medical brings a critical missing link to patients through their world-class genetic medical expertise, plus a strong medical practice foundation. This partnership is key to helping both patients and [their] clinicians understand their genetic variants and discover if they have a disease, or are at risk of developing a disease.”

While Fabirc looks to make an impact in the clinical market, the company isn’t solely focused on that niche. It also provides its interpretation services to clinical labs, research programs, and country-wide genomic programs to study population-wide genomic variation.

Both companies, however see the ongoing value of genomic information and the ability for individuals to tap the data, as needed, throughout their lives. “Knowledge of how genetics influences health continues to increase,” Bleyl noted. “We’ll know much more in five years than we do now. So a patient whose genetic data may not yield an answer today, could get an answer next year or the year after, based on new research. That is what we see as the future of genomic medicine.”

Also of Interest